[Killietalk] Khartoum

["unclescott" <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

Harry noted that

> Khartoum sounds like a very exotic place. Any killifish to be collected?

Epiplatys bifasciatus's distribution is shown to be a couple 100 miles south
in the Nile drainage in A World of Killies. But is it safe to go that way?
Some awful stories of what is happening in the North - South conflicts in
Sudan have trickled out.

Brian's maps in Wildekamp also shows Ep. spilargyreius even found a little
further north on the Nile. Wildekamp, in his accounts of both Epiplatys,
records the report of a scientist in 1982 who found a bifasciatus with
developing eggs in an ovary. He also alludes to a 1919 report of a
spilargyreius from the southern Sudan (as Ep. marni, one of several probably
inappropriate Epiplatys names used on fish from the region) which gave birth
to a fry with a yoke sack. Wildekamp doesn't seem sure whether one or two
species of killie is being referred to, given the problems in identifying
fish 85 years ago.

He does note that neither species shows any tendency towards any kind of
ovo-viviparity (internal fertilization and nourishment for the embryo
provided only from the egg) or viviparity (internal fertilization of the egg
and nourishment being provided in part or wholly by the mother in the
central or western parts of their distributions. Females were also found in
the Sudan with conventional ovaries.

But Joe, we'd like to keep your company, either sometime in person, or at
least on-line.

Wildekamp also suggests that the distribution of two lampeyes, Aply. or
Micropanchax loati and Aply. / Mic. kingii range from end to end in the Nile
valley.

Those of you who have picked up the latest edition of Wildekamp's World of
Killies will have to summarize what he mentions there. :)

Killi-Data 2000 mentions a couple of locations in Soudan. One location, the
Bahr el Seraf is mentioned in association with both Ep. bifasciatus and that
Ep. "marnoi". With Khartoum at 15.34 N / 32.36 E and the Bahr el Seraf at
14. 7 N/ 31.2 E, that might be more accessible. Unfortunately the collecting
there is recorded in works published a long time ago - Steindachner 1881 and
Myers 1933.

There are also some specific lampeye collecting points, but they are pretty
far south. Likewise a Notho reference for N. virgatus at 11.9 N/ 32.1 is
pretty far from Khartoum.

The semi-arid sections of Sudan do make one wonder if there is undiscovered
Nothobranchius habitat. Likewise, little fishes like the Epiplatys and
lampeyes, have probably not been aggressively collected. (But there are
crocodiles and a political climate not terrifically receptive to westerners
over the years.) Certainly that area isn't mention as prime tourism country.

In the List of Provisional and Valid Species by Country of Distribution
section of that KilliData, there is a surprising number of killies listed.
Huber lists Aphanius dispar dispar (lower down on the Nile?), Ep.
bifasciatus and spilargyreius, Lacustricola hutereaui, Mic. kingii and loati
and Poropanchax normani.

Harry, I'm sure Joe is aware of these fish, travel conditions and possible
collection points. He does seem to be popping up in quite a number of
interesting locals in the course of his work. All we can do is wish him safe
sailing while he is there. Maybe that part of the world will be a safer
place in the future.

All the best!

Scott




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